West-Virginia-Governor-Earl-TomblinWest Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s veto message:

Pursuant to the provisions of section fourteen, article VII of the Constitution of West Virginia, I disapprove Enrolled Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 30 for the following reasons.

Signing this bill into law would pose a serious risk to public health.  First, the bill acknowledges that consuming raw milk has inherent dangers and that it may contain “bacteria that is particularly dangerous to children, pregnant women and those with compromised immunity.”  A product with these types of health risks should be subject to more supervision than merely requiring a person to release the seller from liability for such risks.  Second, the bill lacks provisions regarding oversight and regulatory authority with respect to sanitation or the handling and storage of raw milk.   Given the health implications of the bill, the Bureau for Public Health should have been given oversight and regulatory authority in raw milk production.

For the foregoing reasons, I disapprove Enrolled Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 30.